Laundry marker



July a, 1924. 1,501,002

E. LANE K LAUNDRY MARKER Filed Dec. 19 1923 attenua Patented July 8, Y1924. Y Y Y UNTEI)V STPFES yPT-Elklrll l EDWIN LANE, or' NEW YORK, N. Y., AssIGNoR 'ro cAaoLYN LAUNDRY, ror* NEwYoRK,

N. Y., A coRroRAfrroN or NEW YORK.

j LAUNDRY MARKER.

Application led December 19, 1923. Serial No. 681,638.

To all whom t may concern: is that the tongues and openings in the-re- Be it known that I, EDWIN LANE, a citizen spective jaws are of different dimensions so of the United States, residingat New York, as to ada-pt the tongues and openings for in the county of VNew York and State of cooperation with light and heavy articles or New York, have invented newV and useful pieces or articlesrvarying in thickness and 55 Improvements in Laundry Markers, of weight. Y I V which the following Vis a .speciiicationf In the drawing This invention relates to laundry markers Figure /1 is a perspective view of a launfor identifying individual pieces or articles dry marker embodying the features ofthek and groups of the latter of the same ownerimprovement shown applied to an article so ship prior and subsequent toY launder and or piece anda jaw separating or key device dry cleaning operations. inserted in operative position in the marker.

The invention particularly relates to a deaFigure 2 is a central longitudinal vertical velopment or an improvement of the markers section of the improved marker showing the l5 disclosed by my pending applications Serial jaw separating or key device in position 6;; Nosf 681,635, 681,636, and 681,637, all filed therein. j y Dec. 19, 1923, its generalstructure being F lgure 3 is a bottom plan view of the Vvery similar to that of application Serial No. marker shown applied to a portion of a 681,636, wherein an opening device or key is piece or article.

used for separating the normally closed jaws. Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of 70 In all of my previous structures of launthe jaw separatingV or key device. dry markers the jaws are formed with in- The numeral 5 designates a doubled strip dentations which are produced without sep-v of suitable non-corrosive metal, such as brass arating the metal or material defining said or phosphor bronze, bent in such manner as 25 indentations from the jaws., QIn kthe pres- Vto provide twojaws 6 and 7 which have an 755` ent improvement, which is applicable to all f overlapping, normallyA closed relation, Yas of the previous forms, the indentations are shown, but may be normally open jaws. VIt separated at the sides and one end of each is preferred, however, thatthe jawsV have a to provide tongues in one jaw, and in the sufficient resiliency to automatically closev opposite jaw openings are formed in registhe same.V A head 8 is formed Ainrear of 80 tering relation to and of slightly greater dithe jaws and 'is wider 'than the latter, the mensions than the tongues to permit the porone member of the head having an identifytions of the piece or article vengaged by the ing number or character 9. The one memjaws to be pressed into the openings by theV ber of the Ahead in the presentA instance is V tongues to securely hold the marker in conalso laterally extended, as at. 9a, and formed 85 4nection with the piece or yarticle with less vwith a slot or opening 9b for permitting the liability of cutting, puncturing Vor tearing inarker and the piece or article held thereby the latter. As a further feature of improveto be applied to a hook or-other projection ment, the tongues and openings of the jaws for hanging purposes.- The jaw Z isslightly 40 are formed in alternate relation in ther` two longer than the jaw 6 and both of the jaws 90 jaws So that a part of the tongues are in one have opposed tongues 10 and llwhich are i jaw between a number ofv openings in kthe alternately disposed inreverse angular arsame ja-w and disposed toengage openings rangement in the respective. jaws and eninrthe opposite or second jaw, and the closedbetween the latter, so'that the inward Y tongues ofthe latter jaw are arranged to maximum projection ofthe said tongues Vg5 engage the openings ,in the Virs'tjaw to thus will alternate, orjthe projecting portions A produce a `reliableinterlock of the tongues of the tongues of one jaw will beopposed in relation yto the portion of the piece or to or between the projecting portionslof thek f article engaged by the jaws. A stillfurtongues Vof the remainingjaw; Thefmaxi-l ther feature o-f the presenty improvement mum projections of the tongues 10 and'll 100;;

' the opening' witlr which it is adapted tof ever, are not confinedto thisv diiferentiationu are all directed towards the head 8 and provide a series of transversely extending biting means for reliably holding a portion of an article or piece to be cleaned or laundered. Thetongues 10 and -11 are in registering relation with openings 10L and 111L formed in the respective jaws and of slightly greater dimensions than the said tongue and whereby the tongues may enter the saidi'openingsf withY clearance and force the portions of the article or piece to which the mark is applied into the said openings. `As hereinbefore indicated, they twov side edges ands one end of each tongue are cut clear of the jaw of which it forms part and the tongueI has suificientinward projection tof extendV into indimensions of" the tongues'- and openings in thev respective jaws, the essential feature being the tongues of one jaw being free-'tol enter or register with andpress a portion of the article or' piece intfio-tli'e corresponding openings. As shown s by Figure 2, the shorterjaw 6'* and the member of the head with which it iscontinufedv are inclined inwardly towards thel remaining jaw 'F and v the remaining member off Vthe head' fully .frein the bendvv 112, andi the member of the head from which the shorter j aw GeXtends at about the poi-nt or intersection or termination of tlie` relatively to the vhea-d memf ber is:V formed witli a slot or openi-iig" 18. In advance of this slot or opening 18 the jaw 6 liasf an/ inwardly projecting guard lip` or fla-nge which is' preferably cut- 'therefrom and liasits free' endj movable and normally in engagement with ak slotr 15 in thel opposit'efjaw 7. The head memberV from the articleor piecefto wliichit is. applied to:

whiclitlie aw 7 continues" is formed with an identati'on 16 between the location of the slot 18 and thebend 12 for the purpose' of maintaining the opposite' members of the head in predetermined spaced relation and to prevent crushing of the head members by pressure stress that may be imposed thereon during tlie laundering operation. The jaw 7 which is slightly longer than the jaw 6 serves for convenience in applying -themarker to' a- Yportion of; an article or piece to' be laundered or dry cleaned, and' whereby saidi projecting portion of the j aw 7 maybe readily placed under they edge of guidethe said article or piece in between the jaws when the latter are sprung apart;

A jaw separating or key device of particular form is shown for operating the jaws,b ut it will4 be understoodfthat any suitable device other than the particular form shown may be used. The device as shown is formed with a thumb or linger loopv or eye 16a` bent` over a lat shank 17 which is straight for a greater portion of its length and:` in" part provides a portion of the wall or defining means for the eye 16 and whereby the devicef may be held on the thumb or linger of the hand of the operator or assorter without liability ofv the same turning away frointhe position desired to be maintained for ready application` and practical operation inr'elation t'o the marker, as indicatedj in dotted? lines by Figure 1. The free endy off the flat shank 17 isbent rearwardly, as at 18, and thencontinued; into/a terminal an'guh lar footi19,` the freeextremityof this shank beingdecreasedv in` widthj asat'v 2t), to adapt the same to be readily inserted andl removed plementpushed forward: untilf'itassumes' the' positiony shown by` Figure 2 and` then-turnedv by the operator who presses inwardly on the device, and? the foot 19 acting' in conjunction with the bend 21 provided? in` thev formation of the footv andi acting as af fulcrum', forces the jaw 6 apart fronr the' jaw- 7 to separate the tonguesli()Y and 11i from the' openings 10v and' 1v1a to such an extent as' tol permit the ready insertion of' a* portion of a piece or article between the' jaws or ay quickA withdrawal of the said portion from the jaws. The portion of" the article or piece enga-ged by the jaws islimi'ted in its rearward#move#l ment or cannot pass rearwardly between the members of! thek head" 8 inA view' of the ob'- struction/ provided by thel guard flip or flange 14S, and the latter also prevents tlie foot 19 of the' opening device from moving forwardly between the jaws and engaging the portion ofthe article or piecev that may be helfd between said jaws', and as a consequence, the article ory piece so held` is prevented from`V being injured or torn by the'impleinent.y The opposite members of the head 8 are in such spaced relation that when ythe reduced endl 2O ofthe shank 17 of the openingdevice" is introduced into the slot 13- the bend 21 will bear against the closed portion -of the member of the head oppositeY that having the slot 13 therein, land a turning the foot 19 against that part of the member of the head immediately in advance of the front wall of the slot 13.

The metal of which the marker is formed`Y will be sufficiently resilient to maintain the jaws 6 and 7 normally closed with such force when in engagement with a portion of an article or pieceas to prevent accidental disengagement of the marker from the article or piece during launder or dry cleaning operations, but this resiliency of the jaws will be readily overcome in an easy manner through the use of the opening -device above explained. It will be understood that markers bearing the same identifying number will be applied to articles or pieces of the same ownership or group, and as the identifying numbers or characters on the markers are readily discernible or easily seen, the several articles or pieces of one group may be Vexpeditiously separated from articles or pieces of another group bearing unlike numbers or characters.V

What is claimed as new is:-

l. A reusable marker of the class specified consisting of a fiat strip of resilient metal doubled on itself to provide a pair of Aopposed flat jaws both having inwardly projected interacting tongues and registering openings arranged in alternation, the tongues having a rearward reverse angular projecting arrangement in the respective Cil jaws and the free ends of thetongues of each jaw registering with the openings of the opposing jaw, the marker having identifying means and the tongues being blunt and impenetrative, and means for operating the jaws.

2. A reusable marker of the class specified consisting of a doubled strip of flatspring metal provided with identifying means and a pair of .normallyv closed jaws, the jaws both being formed with alternately arranged and reverse angularly projected impentrating tongues, the jaws also having openings in registering relation to and adaptedV to receive the said tongues.

3. VA reusable marker of the class specified consistingV of a doubled strip of flat spring metal having identifying means and a pair of normally closedV jaws, the jaws both being formed with inwardly projecting alternately arranged tongues and registering openings for the tongues, the tongues having a rearward reverse angular projecting arrangement in the respective jaws, the openings being larger in dimensions than the tongues to permit them to force the material engaged thereby into the openings without injury to the material, and means for opening the jawsg Y u 4. A reusable marker of theclass specified composed lof a doubled flat stripof spring metal having identifying means yand a pair ofnormally closed resilient jaws, each of the yjaws being formed with inwardly projecting alternately arranged tongues and openings to receive the terminals of the tongues, one of the jaws having an inwardly projecting guard and a slot in rear of the tongues and openings and a removable key means insertable through the slot in rear of D the guard for springing the jaws apart.

5. A marker of the class specified having an identifying means and a pair of normally closed resilient jaws, the jaws being respectively formed with impenetrative tongues and openings in alternate relation in the two jaws, the tongues and openings varying in dimensions, and means insertable through one of the jaws in rear of the openings and projections thereof for opening thejaws.

6. A reusable marker of the class specified consisting of a doubled flat strip of spring metal and provided with opposed body parts from which continue a pair of normally closed jaws with opposing interacting gripping means arranged in alternation in the respective jaws, the body parts of the marker in rear of the jaw projections being flat and one of the said body parts laterally projected and formed with a slot therein, and means for operating the jaws.

7. A reusable marker of the class specified consisting of a bent fiat strip of spring metal having an identifying means and a pair of normally closed jaws having outer smoothV sides extending in straight lines from the connecting bend of the jaws, the jaws being formed with inwardly projecting gripping devices having a reverse rearward angular arrangement and disposed longitudinally of and across the jaws within the sides and ends thereof in rows, the jaws also having openings to receive the terminals of the projections, theprojections being always confined between the outer sides of the jaws, and means for operating the jaws to open the latter.

8. A `reusable marker of the class speci- Vfied comprising a pair-of opposed spring o jaws with outer smooth sides extending in straight lines fromrrear supporting parts thereof, the jaws being normally closed and operableY to spring the same apart and having inwardly extending blunt projections and registeringopenings for receiving the terminals of the projections, the projections having reverse angular directions in the re- -fspective jaws, the projections all being confined Vbetween the outer sides and ends of the jaws, and means for removably engaging the jaws to separate kthe latter.

9K; reusable metrker of. the class speer fled comprising opposed flat spring metal members having the forward portions thereofarranged to serVeas-:llormally closed jaws 5 provdedf Wlth. inwarclily extending' bluntl projections, thef projeehons having. reverse angular' disposition im the `respective jaws; and arranged in dstinet. longitudinal auml' transverse rows relativelyv t'o the jaws and permanently reta-med shape, the projee tions being Wholly! eo'nned betweenA the out# ersdfesof' tjhe jaws vn-duneans nsertabl'e betW-eenl the; jaws for opening" the latter.

testimony whereof I havel hereunto# set my hand'. Y a A Y EDWIN LANE. 

